Introduction

 

Street art is a controversial topic. Is it vandalism or is it creativity? Is it inspired and can it inspire others? Street art is becoming commonplace in many cities around the world, but the question is: what purpose does it serve? Many street art projects are actually intended to trigger social change, so I was curious about whether or not Street Art can actually be an agent of social change.

 

In her book "Graffiti and Street Art," Anna Waclawek provided me with a starting point. She describes the difference between signature graffiti and street art. She characterizes signature graffiti as exclusive and simply an "affirmation of self" (pg. 123). Graffiti is too associated with vandalism or law-breaking to draw an audience in. She writes, "Street art stands in opposition to graffiti in its inclusivity" because it often has a political or satirical message that viewers can relate to (pg. 123). So if street art is inclusive, drawing an audience in, can it change the world? Can it make people think and eventually trigger social change?

 

Throughout the book, she lists aspects of street art that can make the message more powerful.

Here are just a couple that apply to the projects I will explore:

 

Location

 

Street artists pick locations that "best respond to or benefit from [their] pieces" (pg. 122). They pick sites for their art that are significant to the topic. Picking a place that can benefit from your piece is a step in the direction of social change.

 

The Internet

 

Waclawek writes, "Photographs of graffiti are the most valuable foundation on which the movement thrives and, indeed, evolves" (pg. 178). She discusses the idea that without the disemmination of street art photographs on the web, "the movement would quite literally [be] lost" (pg. 178). The internet is the primary way that street art projects become known and recognized. Without the internet, there is a much narrower, limited audience.  The more people that see the art, the more people there are thinking about it. The more people that are thinking about the art, the greater the chance is for social change or changes in perspective.

 

So my question is:

 

With the location in mind and by disemminating graffiti project

photos online, can street artists trigger social change with their art?